Food is essential to life. If we did not have fresh water to
hydrate us and food to nourish us we couldn’t survive. The quality and quantity
of the food we eat significantly affects our health, energy levels, and perhaps
even how long we live. Deciding to put nutritious food into your body can be
one of the best and healthiest decisions you make.

What To Eat

Too much of the focus in nutrition is on what not to eat and
how “bad” everything is for you. Instead of dwelling on what you can’t eat,
let’s focus on what is healthful and good to eat. In fact, unless you are
allergic to a particular food, nothing is off-limits. French fries, cheese,
chocolate—it’s all allowed! What matters for your health is how much (portion) and
how often (frequency) you are eating each food.

To put it simply, every day we should focus on eating a
balance of items from each food group. You can use My Pyramid as a guide as to
how much you should eat for your size from each food group: fruits, vegetables,
grains, milk, meat and beans, and oils.

Balance

It’s simple: If you eat more calories than you burn, you
will gain weight over time. If you burn more than you eat, you will lose weight
over time. Nevertheless, for the majority of people the most difficult part of
a healthful diet is balancing the number of calories they eat with the number
of calories they burn every day.

Portion control is the most critical part of maintaining a healthy weight and
preventing weight gain. Knowing exactly how many calories a person needs is an
inexact science and depends on many factors such as:

Metabolism

Age

Gender

Activity level

Body weight

Body composition (fat vs. muscle)

Maintaining a healthy body weight is one of the most
critical factors in preventing diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and
many cancers.

The Right Nutrients

All calories in the food we eat and drink are made up of a
combination of just four things:

Carbohydrates

Protein

Fat

Alcohol

Carbohydrates, protein, and fat are necessary nutrients
called macronutrients. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends the following
range of distribution for daily caloric intake:

45%-65% from carbohydrates

10%-35% from protein

10%-35% from fat

In addition to macronutrients, there are micronutrients that
we need each day. This includes the vitamins and minerals that are essential to
keeping our bodies functioning and preventing deficiency conditions and
diseases.

With the right mix of foods in the right
portions eaten at the right times, you can fight disease and have the energy
you need to complete any task on your list!